Lily of Light and Morning Star 1808

Philipp Otto Runge made this print, Lily of Light and Morning Star, using etching and engraving. These are techniques of intaglio printmaking. Runge would have painstakingly scratched lines into a metal plate, which was then inked and pressed onto paper. The image shows cherubic figures emerging from a lily. Look closely at the quality of line. The etched lines create a soft, almost dreamlike effect, particularly in the background shading. The engraved lines, used for the figures, are much more precise and descriptive. The contrast between the crispness of the figures and the softness of the background gives the print a unique visual texture, which heightens the ethereal quality of the image. Prints like these were made as luxury goods for a bourgeois audience, but the intensive labor of etching and engraving has a beauty of its own. By considering the process of production and the ways in which the artist carefully managed these printmaking techniques, we can appreciate this image in a fresh light.